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Rambus Loses $4B Antitrust Case

Posted by samzenpus on from the take-it-on-the-chin dept.

UnknowingFool writes "In a vote of 9-3, a jury found that Micron and Hynix did not collude to manipulate DRAM prices in a violation of California anti-trust law against Rambus. The jury also ruled that the Idaho based Micron and the South Korea based Hynix did not interfere with Rambus' relationship with Intel. On the first point, Rambus argued the two chip makers conspired to keep Rambus RDRAM prices high while artificially keeping their SDRAM prices low. Micron and Hynix countered that high RDRAM prices were due to technical problems of the design. On the second point, an Intel manager testified that Rambus contract stipulations soured the relationship. The clause that Rambus insisted and would not waive was that to use Rambus RDRAM, Intel had to agree to give Rambus the ability to block Intel processors if Rambus felt Intel was not promoting RDRAM sufficiently. Rambus initiated the suit and the $4B was how much Rambus calculated it lost in profits."

6 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. .... and it's not the only leech by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Microsoft comes to mind

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    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    1. Re:.... and it's not the only leech by i_b_don · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Please, MS has NOTHING on Rambus when it comes to using the courts.

      d

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      all language nazi's will burne in heil!
    2. Re:.... and it's not the only leech by klui · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If SCO can last nearly a decade I'm not surprised Rambus's lawsuits would last as long if not longer.

  2. Rambus lost $4 Billion suit... by demonbug · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And there was much rejoicing.

  3. Thats one hell of a clause... by Local+ID10T · · Score: 4, Insightful

    an Intel manager testified that Rambus contract stipulations soured the relationship. The clause that Rambus insisted and would not waive was that to use Rambus RDRAM, Intel had to agree to give Rambus the ability to block Intel processors if Rambus felt Intel was not promoting RDRAM sufficiently.

    Wow. I'd have told them to F off too...

    --
    "You want to know how to help your kids? Leave them the fuck alone." -George Carlin
  4. Re:Rambust by billcopc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They helped to advanced the industry by patenting once-public ideas ? I cannot agree with that statement on any level.

    If anyone should be accused of articially maintaining high RAM prices, it's Rambus. Their trolling and subsequent royalty racket has cost the world far more than 4 billion, not to mention the costly and frustrating period where Intel boards exclusively supported Rambus. That move alone set the SDRAM industry back a few years.

    Rambus is the perfect example of how NOT to run a tech company. Leave IP theft to the Chinese, at least they don't patent the stuff they steal.

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    -Billco, Fnarg.com